Antique Edo Five Crested Chrysanthemum and Plum Blossom Black Tomesode Kimono

Description

Type
: Kurotomesode
Material
: Silk
Overall Length
: 57 inches/145 centimeters
Sleeve to Sleeve
: 49 inches/124.5 centimeters
Sleeve Length
: 25 inches/63.5 centimeters
Width
: 43 inches/109 centimeters
Age
: Late Edo or Early Meiji Period (1850-1880)
Condition
: Antique - Excellent
A lovely diamond-in-the-rough find is this beautiful
antique tomesode
(formal kimono for married women) dating to the
Late Edo Period or Early Meiji Period (1850-1880)
. It is subdued like many tomesode are for a married woman, but the beautiful details of the piece are whimsy and enchanting. The main motif consists of
different types of chrysanthemums
that are hand painted and separated from the main fabric with
plum blossoms
(see picture #2). It is lined with beautiful
benibana (saffron dyed) silk
that is as vibrant as the day it was made (see pictures #3 and #6). I did notice that the kamon (family crests) seem to have been replaced at some point as one on the front has slightly peeled back enough to show a different kamon underneath (the old one has an ivy crest - see picture #9).
As for condition, it is overall
excellent
with very few slight marks that were either caused during the dyeing process or from some faint wear. The only real "problem" that I found is what looks like a bit of water damage on the bottom left side of the inside panel (see picture #5) and some possible black marks of unknown origin on the bottom left collar (see picture #10). There are also some small, white fuzzy bits on the inside lining (see picture #6) that can likely be removed with a lint roller, however I leave that to the discretion of the buyer as I did not want to damage the silk in any way. Overall it is a
museum class piece
that could even be worn if so desired. However, since finer silk was used back then I do recommend against it.
To accurately date this piece you need to look at the materials, the motifs and the (ka)mon. First off, the material is a light silk and is lined with bright orange benibana dyeing. Silk at this time was still very expensive to make, so fine silks were not as thick as the material that we're used to seeing today. The finest fabrics were often still made in workshops and not made by machines. As for the lining, just after the turn of the 20th century Japanese textile makers switched from the expensive saffron dye to imported or synthetic dyes to get a deeper red color, which saw the orange lining go out of fashion. Examining the pattern you notice that it does not actually flow together seamlessly - looking at each panel you can see that they were done independent of each other and then sewn together later; this is a common trait of Edo Period kimono. Continuous patterns did not come into fashion until the Taisho Period (1912-1926), so this also suggests that it was made in the 19th century. As for the kamon, they are still very large; kamon shrunk in the Late Meiji Period as family symbols were not as important as they once were on clothing. Seeing that another set of kamon were expertly placed over the older ones and are the same size places this once again back in the Edo Period with the kamon likely changed at the end of the Edo Period or early Meiji Period as it was done to be worn with the fashion of the time. If the change had been done later the kamon would have likely been painted over to facilitate smaller kamon, but this is not the case. It is with this in mind that I use my knowledge and experience to date this kimono as being made sometime around 1850-1880.
Shipping is FREE worldwide on this piece
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I am accepting offers on this piece
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If you'd like more detailed photographs or have any questions feel free to send me a message!
This package will be shipped via Canada Post unless otherwise specified. If you'd like it to be shipped a different way please contact me and I'll be happy to arrange it. It will also be well packed and wrapped safely to ensure that damage does not occur while in transit. If you wish to have it gift wrapped it can be done at no extra charge. Payment is accepted through Paypal only and must be made within 48 hours of purchase. If you need more time than this, please feel free to contact me and we can work something out.